Greater New Orleans

New Orleans Saints vs. Philadelphia Eagles: What to Watch

New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram (22) rushes for a first down in the second quarter during the game between the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on Sunday, December 22, 2013. (Michael DeMocker, NOLA.com / The Times-Picayune)

And while it's had ups and downs, including allowing a career-high 37 sacks against Brees, the line ended the regular season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a high note, with the improved play of rookie Terron Armstead and only one sack allowed.

Brees was able to pass for four touchdowns and finish with a season best 157.4 passer rating.

That was particularly important after Brees was sacked 10 times against the St. Lois Rams and Carolina Panthers. He had a passer rating of 80 or less in both of those games and threw total four interceptions.

The Eagles are average this season in pressuring the passer (20th in the league with 37 sacks), but also have three games where they sacked the quarterback five times.

Against an opportunistic Eagles defense, Brees knows the sacks, but more importantly the turnovers, need to be kept to a minimum.

"I definitely say there is something with momentum on the road especially when you are in a hostile environment. Don't give them a reason to get excited. Don't give their fans a reason to stand up and get crazy," Brees said. "Any time you can just control the game, certainly you can score points and get a lead, that's great, but in a lot of cases you kind of weather the storm so to speak and you get rolling. ...

"I think one of our things is we really haven't started fast on the road and that is something certainly we can improve on, something we are focusing on and that can be a big part of our success too."

LESEAN MCCOY

How does one defend against Eagles running back LeSean McCoy? Not many teams have been able to figure that one out this season.

McCoy not only leads the NFL with a career-best 1,607 rushing yards, but he also had a league-leading 2,146 yards from scrimmage this season.

McCoy rushed for at least 100 yards seven times this season, and rushed for 217 yards against the Detroit Lions. The Saints have allowed three 100-yard rushers this season (Doug Martin, Chris Ivory and Zac Stacy).

"We face elite talent every week," said defensive end Cam Jordan. "Sometimes you have missteps ... and you're not going to be perfect on every play. That's what we have to try to do this week, be perfect.

McCoy might be the toughest challenge they've faced yet.

"He's a strong runner. He's a quick, fast, agile guy. (He is) hard to take down. He can make you miss. He can do a lot," Payton said. "That's a dangerous guy and that's something we've got to really watch for during the game on the defensive side. ...

"I know the defensive players notice that. They know what type of player he is, what type of runner he is. On the defensive side we've got to really get after these guys and stop their run game. If we stop the run game, we feel like we have the upper hand on this team."

MARK INGRAM

Mark Ingram's reputation has drastically changed in the eyes of fans this season.

Fans have gone from booing the third-year running back to clamoring for more.

Strong showings against the Dallas Cowboys (145 yards) and Carolina Panthers (83 yards), have been one of the big reasons for that.

He'll no doubt hear some boos on Saturday. But it'll likely be coming from the frenzied crowd at the Linc.

Saturday could be Ingram's time to shine. The Saints have been repeatedly stressing balance this week, and with Pierre Thomas' status in question, look for Ingram to get the bulk of the carries.

"Everybody knows what's at stake," Ingram said. "You want to win and get to that Super Bowl."

KEY MATCHUP

SAINTS PASSING OFFENSE VS. EAGLES PASSING DEFENSE

The Saints have held steady to the notion that the numbers on the Eagles last-ranked pass defense are misleading.

"I think number one - we talked about it as a team - when you really study Philadelphia, statistically the pass defense numbers suggest that they're in the bottom part of the league and yet, a lot of those numbers come from teams being behind and throwing the football. That's pretty common," Payton said.

But with the No. 2 ranked passing offense at their disposal, the Saints will no doubt try to exploit Philadelphia's defense. Whether or not they can establish a run game to open the pass could be a big factor on Saturday.

5: Turnovers the Eagles have surrendered since Week 9, first in the league.

10: Games in the Eagles-Saints series that have been decided by a touchdown or less

WORTH REPEATING

"We have been through a lot together. We know the expectation level. We know the preparation. I think there is a level of pride that comes along with that and accountability. You want to perform well for each other. You know how much we have invested. I think when we all, hopefully we all have a lot of time here together, but I would say it is pretty rare that you have that many guys to be here for that period of time. When it is all said and done, if we can look back and say man, we did some pretty special stuff together regular season, playoffs, championships, that's what it is all about." -- Saints quarterback Drew Brees